All By Myself
by matildacullen
Summary: Small-town chick Bella Swan encounters world phenomenon Edward Cullen and he's immediately intrigued by her. But she's heard of his reputation and refuse to be impressed by his endless tries to win her over. Will he succeed? OOC, E/B.


**This is an idea I've head in my head for ages, and I'm curious about how it'll turn out in the end. Let me know what you think about it. **

**Let's get this party started! Wiiii!**

_**Prologue**_

"Bella!" a hushed voice whispered. "Over here! Bells!"

I peeked around the giant plant in the flower garden I was knelt behind and spotted Rosalie frantically waving at me from her hiding spot at a garbage can.

While the security guards in front of the grand entrance were looking in another direction I galloped straight over to bend down behind the garbage can, too. I breathlessly sent Rose a chilling glare.

"What?" she mouthed and stole a quick look over the can to make sure no one had noticed me. "You're good. No one noticed."

"Rose!" I hissed. "Please! We're grown women. This is so childish; let's just, please, go home!"

She merely shook her head, having had this conversation many times before, and glanced towards the main entrance again.

"He'll be here in a minute. Come on, we're here now, Bella," she added when I opened my mouth to whisper something furiously in return.

I decided to humor her, but huffed to show my strong revulsion to our actions, and looked over to see if the crowd in front of the hotel showed any signs of tension yet.

There were at least seven security guards stationing outside the hotel entrance, suspiciously squinting at everyone innocently slipping by in the middle of their Christmas shopping, and twice one of them looked at the hiding spot whereas me and Rose were crouched at.

With snowflakes raining over them, two photographers were patiently waiting with their cameras ready. I recognized both of them; easily done that, having only two reporters in the entire city.

"I'm cold." I murmured under my breath, adjusting my scarf securely around my neck.

"Sssh!" Rosalie hushed.

At the door, a mere few feet away, a women with strawberry blonde hair and a red coat showed in the opening and waved one of the guards towards her. She was scowling at the snow like it had done something to offend her.

"That's his agent!" Rosalie whispered breathlessly in my ear and her eyes followed the women and security guard as they disappeared into the hotel again. "Tanya Denali."

My teeth were chattering together at this point and, beyond irritated, I replied sarcastically: "Oh – I'm totally gonna write that down!"

She hushed me a second time without having paid attention and pointed to the door again. The security guard had returned, securely holding a large umbrella over Tanya Denali's head to protect it from snow as he shadowed her to the black limousine parked right at the entrance.

I bent to whisper in Rose's ear. "What's the plan here, anyway? He'll just walk straight into the car."

When Tanya Denali's stilettos had disappeared I poked Rose's side to demand an answer.

She scowled at me. "I just want to see him, Bella!"

"And what, you couldn't have done that at home?" I whispered as another chill ripped through my body. "You have a full body poster of him in your roof, for god's sake!"

"This is a big deal!" she replied angrily. "You don't understand!"

Before I could tell her that she was absolutely right, her eyes widened and she gasped sharply, clasping a hand over her mouth. I followed her pointing finger.

At the hotel entrance the security guards were out of sudden jumping up in stiff positions, more tense than ever, and between them a young man slipped through wearing designer shades and a leather jacket. I wondered if he wasn't cold.

He merely nodded curtly at the guards, running his hands through that strange, reddish-brown hair, and cast a look around the snow covered street. He moved towards the limousine.

"It's him…. It's him, oh god!" Rosalie whispered and I grabbed her shoulder just in case she would get any ideas.

Edward Cullen looked a lot like he did in his movies, tall and handsome, but I had to admit it was very strange seeing him walk on the same streets we lived like a regular human being, hair glistening with snow. Well, a regular human being with seven security guards in his shadow.

The photographers were snapping away, capturing every step he took with their cameras, and I couldn't help but feel a soft sting of compassion for the guy. I thought that he looked tired, like he could use a good night of sleep. Or two.

Rosalie was mimicking the paparazzi's actions, eternalizing the moment with her simple, old fashioned camera behind the garbage can we were hidden at. I thought I saw one of the bodyguards suspiciously glaring in our direction.

Cullen slipped inside the awaiting car and he was gone, and it was over.

As soon as the black limo was driving off I grabbed Rose's arm. "Let's go, Ro." I murmured anxiously and looked towards the security guards, who were pointing at our hiding spot with deep scowls.

"Why?" Rosalie said, having not noticed what I sensed, with her eyes still on the back of the vehicle. She seemed stunned.

"I'm serious, Rosalie!" I hissed. "We need to get out of here."

"Bella," she scoffed. "I know you're freezing your butt off, alright, but you can at least-"

"RUN!" I roared and jumped to my feet, grabbing on to the collar of her winter coat. The guards were walking towards us – and when they saw us sprinting down the street they also broke into a run.

I held Rose's hand clasped in my own as we ran the fastest we could across the road, ignoring the furious honks we left behind us. Rosalie's camera bumped up and down around her neck, holding the pictures of Edward Cullen, and she was cursing unintelligently under her breath.

"Oh god!" I gasped and looked around fervently, searching for a new hiding place. I was well aware of the security guards not many steps behind.

"I don't… understand…" Rosalie said between gasps. "…what they're…. so… _mad _about!"

Before I answered her I quickly pulled her in to a dark alley, pressing us both flat against the stone wall, with my heart beating in my throat. To our relief the guards ran straight past us, continuing down the street in their search.

I leaned my head back against the wall, breathing out.

"Your pictures, of course." I hissed breathlessly. "If you upload those pictures on the net everyone will know where he stays! The hotel will be surrounded!" I shut my eyes. "God, that was close… that was _very_ close."

To my surprise Rosalie suddenly started laughing. I turned my head to look at her, or rather the part of her face that wasn't hidden in the dark, and saw that her eyes were sparkling with humor and excitement.

And I couldn't help it. I joined in her laughter like an idiot.

"But, admit it," Rosalie said, smiling, when we'd managed to control ourselves. "He _was_ hot."

I snorted. "I've never expressed that I feel differently on that. I just think he's a rich, first-class jerk!"

Rosalie opened her mouth to protest, like she always did, but we were interrupted by a voice yelling above from one of the balconies:

"Hey now – what are you two doing down there? This is private property!"

We giggled, covering our mouths with one hand, and hurried out of the alley with the old man's voice chanting behind us.

A moment later we were ordering two cups of coffee with whipped cream and lots of sugar at Carol's café and slipped into an empty booth, struggling out of our thick winter coats. The snow looked much prettier when you saw it from inside.

"Imagine how jealous Jess will be," Rosalie said smugly and brought her cup to her lips. "I can't wait to tell her! She's been going on about Edward Cullen longer than I have!"

"Somehow I find that hard to believe." I grumbled.

Rosalie rolled her eyes without answering and tossed her freshly cut, blonde hair over her shoulder.

With her cheeks still tinted red from the cold and her hair pulled back like that she was even more beautiful to look at than usual. It was so unfair. I pulled a little irritably on my own plain, dark hair.

"What?" she demanded.

"Nothing." I looked down and sipped on my drink. Her delicate brows were wrinkled. "So, can I see the pictures or what? Or did we just go through all of that for nothing?" I added to change the subject.

Her frown instantly turned into an open, wide smile. "Sure…They're not very good," she began as she loosened the strap from her neck and handed the camera to me. "But it works."

I scrolled through the shots without any real interest, but forced a smile on my face for Rose's sake. "Too bad you didn't snap a picture of that Denali chick." I mused.

"Tanya?" Rosalie said in disbelief. She snorted. "Sure. But I'm sure she's got enough ego as it is. I almost couldn't breathe."

"Are they dating or something?" I asked, vaguely remembering an article I read in a gossip magazine a few months back. Not that those things usually interested me much, but what else do you do on rainy days?

"No!" Rosalie insisted passionately and set her jaw stubbornly. "I refuse to believe those rumors."

I smiled, amused at her intensity. "Oh, okay. But why was she with him, then? I thought he was here to shoot some kind of new movie thing." Her expression darkened. "Just here to wish him good luck?" I teased, well aware that I was playing with fire.

She narrowed her eyes. "Please, Bella. She's his _agent_. Are you expecting him to travel alone?"

"No, you're right, of course." I said sarcastically. "What is he again, twenty-four? He couldn't possibly travel _alone_, could he?" I raised my eyebrows innocently.

"You're impossible." Rosalie snorted. "He's a world-wide phenomenon, do you realize that? He can't go _anywhere_ alone, Bella. Plus, I'm sure it can get lonely traveling so much all the time."

"Yeah, but having Denali there must really cheer him up, huh?" I grinned. "Especially on the _long_ and _hard_ trips…"

"Shut up!"

I laughed. "What movie is he shooting again, by the way?"

Rosalie straightened up, cheered by my change of subject. "It's called 'Lion Night' and it's based on that novel by Clark Richardson. It's really, really famous."

"And why did they pick Forks of all places to shoot this film?" I asked skeptically.

She shrugged. "I really have no idea." Her face lit up with a smile. "Do you realize how big this is in Forks' history, Bella? How many years afterwards people will talk about this?"

"Yeah." I said vaguely, hoping that it was the right thing to say. "It's… fun."

Rosalie snorted and swept her cup to her lips. "You're acting _so_ much like yourself right now, Bella, it's not even funny."

I grinned. "Thanks. I try."

"Obviously." she agreed. "When is Jess coming over for lunch?"

"At two. I think I'll make Bean Burritos again; you know the ones she likes." I mused.

"Remind me why we've invited her over again?"

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "She barrowed us her car today. We're returning the favor."

"We could've taken the train… or the bus." Rosalie muttered.

"Rose," I scolded her. "Play nice, okay? She's our friend, remember? I've known her since high school."

"That doesn't stop her from being presumptuous and persistent." Rosalie crossed her arms over her lanky chest. "Plus, she's a vegetarian – I _hate_ veggie food. You know I get snarky when I'm hungry, Bella."

"Only when you're hungry?"

She pointed her forefinger at me threateningly. "Stop. Don't make me upset, it provokes wrinkles." She lightly touched her hand to her cheek, like she was worried that it might feel different than before, but it was baby smooth. Rosalie Hale was flawless, with her swishy blonde hair like a Gloria around her face - and I was her best friend, the young woman that nobody saw next to someone like her.

I sipped on my coffee drink and tried not to sound bitter when I asked: "So, how's work these days?"

While she replied, the snowstorm continued to pound against the large window on our side and caused traffic jams on the narrowed roads in Forks, Washington.

* * *

"Oh my! Oh my!" Jessica breathed and pulled the camera display closer to her face, so close she almost went cock-eyed. "I can't believe this…Ha-ha!" She let out a piercing laugh and shook her head. "You guys owe me more than lunch!"

I looked up from the cupboard whereas I was cutting the vegetables and gave her a hurt look. She bounced up.

"No, Bella, no! I'm sorry! It smells great, honey! I promise." Jess smiled. "I just didn't actually think you guys would see him, gosh!"

Rosalie was sprawled across the couch with a glass of wine while she was painting her toenails brick red. She looked up with raised eyebrows. "If you didn't think we'd find him, Jess, why did you let us barrow your car?"

Jessica flushed and I sent Rose a furious glare behind Jessica's back. "Behave," I mouthed.

"Oh!" Jessica exclaimed after a moment, jumping up again from her spot next to Rose and pointed to a framed picture on the wall beside our front door. "I remember that!"

I glanced over to see which one she meant, humoring her by letting the awkward moment slide, and smiled, a little forced. "Yes. That was a nice day."

Eighteen year old Jessica Stanley and Bella Swan stood awkwardly squeezed together in the photograph, one arm around the other, and with forced smiles on their young, slightly rounded faces. Both were wearing yellow graduation caps. My nose wrinkled slightly at the memory – who looked good in that much yellow?

"I badly needed to pee in that moment." Jess said with a cackling laugh, like a third grader. I smiled for her benefit, but Rose's smug expression in the corner of my eye told me it didn't look very convincing.

Snow was still hammering down outside and was slowly painting the kitchen window white. When Jess had arrived earlier her dark hair had been glistering with white flakes, and the first thing she exclaimed, was: "It's butt cold in here, gee!"

While I rinsed the vegetables in the sink I looked out over the street below, vaguely making out the voices of Jess and Rose speaking from the living area, and my thoughts suddenly went out to the black limo holding Edward Cullen and Tanya Denali. I was surprised that I wondered if they were still in the car, stuck in traffic somewhere. I snorted irritably at myself for my stupid trail of thought and turned away again.

But when I faced my friends they were talking about him. Apparently Jessica was as skeptic about Tanya Denali's presence as I had been. Rose refused to give in.

"Maybe they aren't dating," Jess said. "But he's at least sleeping with her."

"No!" Rose gasped, like she had just been personally insulted. "Absolutely not!"

Jessica stubbornly looked over at my place by the chopping board. "What do you think, Bella?" she demanded.

"What?" I said, horrified to be asked about my opinion.

"Do you think he's sleeping with her?"

"I-"I began, and they looked expectantly at me, but I was saved from answering the question by my phone going off. Smiling, I struggled it out of my jeans pocket to answer it. "Hello?"

While my two friends turned back towards each other, sipping on their wine, the voice of my boss said: "Bella, thank god! I've been trying to get in touch with you all morning!"

"Yeah, uh…" I said. "Sorry, Mrs Mallory, I've been in town…. Busy…" I muttered. She didn't seem to listen to my vague explanation.

"You have to come in and work a full hour shift tomorrow! Newton is down with the flu, and Angela is still on vacation in Portugal."

Funny how a phone call that just a moment ago was my savior turned out to be something even worse.

"Oh…" I met Rosalie's eyes across the room, and she was looking at me with questioning, raised eyebrows. "But, uh, I thought tomorrow was my day off… and I've kind of made plans…"

"I see." Mrs Mallory said in a short, clipped tone. She used a few well-chosen words to pleasantly explain that basically if I didn't show I could kiss my job goodbye. She knew how badly I needed that, maybe low but still steady, income. Her voice didn't offer any mercy.

I turned my back towards the living area and the pair of four curious eyes, leaning against the kitchen bench for support. "Okay. I'll be there." I sighed.

We hung up a moment later and I groaned loudly, slapping my hand over my face.

"Mallory?" Rosalie asked evenly.

"Yeah," I muttered and faced her, hesitantly dropping my hands from my face like a warrior lowering his shield, ready to take the blow. "I'm sorry, Rosie."

She looked displeased. "It's fine." she pouted. "I'm used to it by now."

"I'm sorry." I repeated and rubbed my eyes tiredly. "I'll make it up to you, promise."

"Yes… I guess I'll be shopping alone again then…" Rosalie brought her wineglass to her lips.

"Shopping? Tomorrow?" Jess asked with wide eyes. My stomach lurched. "But I can go with you, Rose!"

Rosalie choked and spilled wine all over her shirt. She threw a frantic look at me, too quick for Jessica to catch, and it was evident, to me at least, that she would rather paint her hair red and run around naked outside than go on a shopping trip with Jessica Stanley in Seattle tomorrow.

"Uh… Sure." Rosalie said stiffly and Jess smiled, clapping both hands together.

"Great! I badly needed a trip to the mall soon anyway…"

Rose abruptly stood, excusing herself to go and change clothes, and as she went she sent a murderous look at me – a silent promise to snap my head later.

"Sorry," I mouthed after her. I wondered if Mrs Mallory knew exactly how much trouble she had just caused.

**Questions, comments? I want to know every thought you guys have! Should I continue on the next chapter? I would imagine that Edward is a lot more present in the following chapter, if I do decide to write it. **

**I'm feeling really upbeat about this story right now and I would love to continue writing and posting it here for all of you! So... yeah, let me know!**


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